Over the next half-month, Ray Chu strictly managed his schedule: physical training in the mornings and swimming practice in the afternoons. Starting from awkward stumbling, he rapidly improved, moving swiftly and nimbly as if born for it.
Seeing his reflection—bright fur and brimming with energy—Ray Chu crossed his paws, nodding with satisfaction.
Moments later, Ray Chu approached a tree laden with vibrant red berries. After a short running start, he effortlessly shot upward, claws grasping bark like flat ground, bounding quickly between branches until reaching the top in mere seconds.
He picked a juicy berry and enjoyed lunch in the branches, hooking his tail around the limb below to maintain balance.
Basic training's progressing well. Time to start skill training.
The yellow electric mouse cupped his cheek thoughtfully, touching the electric sacs on both sides. A slight tingling sensation buzzed under his paw.
As an Electric-type Pokémon, generating electricity was practically instinctive—even without special training, he could already produce weak currents.
Of course, right now his electricity was still faint—not enough to paralyze an opponent.
If moving charges generate current… Does that mean Electric Pokémon naturally generate bioelectricity inside their bodies, allowing them to unleash powerful electric attacks?
Lost in thought, Ray Chu suddenly clapped his paws together. "Got it!"
A moment later, a serious-looking Pikachu stood under the tree, frowning deeply. He yelled loudly, "Pika-chu!" Sparks crackled around his cheeks, shooting a tiny electric jolt toward the ground and blasting away a puff of dirt.
As expected, stronger emotional fluctuations produce stronger currents!
Hadn't he always seen how, in the anime movies, that nonsensical "Godchu" could spontaneously power up at critical moments and casually beat up Legendary Pokémon—even Arceus himself—all through the power of feelings?
Sadly, Ray Chu knew he wasn't the passionate type. Even in his past life, he'd always been emotionally aloof. Trying to fire himself up like a shounen protagonist would probably be difficult.
If only there were Magnemite around here—I could experiment with magnetic induction… A Pikachu's tail might serve as a conductor, generating induced currents, but right now it was only theoretical. No way to test it.
Human civilization probably had electrical generators, but Ray Chu's paranoia kicked in—he had no intention of interacting with humans until he got strong enough. He certainly wasn't interested in becoming some brat's starter Pokémon.
Capturing Pokémon was essentially a contest of strength—if a Trainer successfully caught one, it meant their guidance was superior to the Pokémon's own fighting skills. But Ray Chu insisted that he had no use for that.
After all, he'd been a grown man in his previous life. He still had his pride.
"Pika~chu!" Ray Chu hopped around energetically, calling out to another Pikachu in the wild, communicating in simple terms only Pokémon could understand.
Opposite him stood a slightly bigger Pikachu in the grass, pointing a paw at itself, head tilted cutely in confusion.
Ray Chu eagerly nodded, squeaking non-stop, roughly translating as:
Buddy, do me a favor—zap me!
Indeed, Ray Chu wasn't the only Pikachu in this forest—there were quite a few around. Electric mice weren't necessarily social creatures; many preferred solitude. Ray Chu and the Pikachu before him both happened to prefer solitary lives, and Ray Chu had found him easily enough.
But after hearing Ray Chu's strange request, the other Pikachu shook its head furiously. Good Pokémon like himself would never attack their own kind!
Ray Chu had anticipated this and immediately pulled out his secret weapon—a rare, delicious berry. "Pika pika! Pika-chu!"
Which translated to:
Don't worry, just do it! This berry's yours, the shock's on me!
After persistent persuasion, the other Pikachu finally accepted the berry hesitantly, wondering if this guy had some strange kink. With an apologetic expression, he produced tiny sparks from his cheeks, unleashing a minimal-power Thunder Shock at Ray Chu.
Ray Chu's fur stood on end from the mild jolt, body tingling slightly, fluffing up adorably.
He didn't feel pain normally caused by an electric shock. Even weakened, it was still a proper Pokémon move, proving Ray Chu's suspicion:
His Pikachu body indeed had the "Lightning Rod" ability, making him immune to Electric-type moves and boosting his Special Attack.
This was incredibly beneficial for his future training.
"Pika!" Keep it coming if you're my buddy!
Noticing Ray Chu was unharmed, the other Pikachu relaxed, launching Thunder Shock repeatedly with more confidence.
Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt…
The session didn't last long—the other Pikachu had only recently evolved from a Pichu, with limited electric reserves. Soon exhausted, he took his berry and left.
"Pika!" Come again next time!
Ray Chu waved goodbye, sitting thoughtfully on a rock. He noticed that the electricity in his cheeks seemed marginally stronger compared to earlier that morning.
It's working! Pikachu's unique organs absorb free electrons from the air, accumulating energy passively and releasing it when needed. Actively training just accelerates that process.
Passive accumulation and deliberate training yielded vastly different results. As a young Pikachu, rigorous practice and scientific training were undoubtedly the correct path to strength.
As for why he didn't just use natural lightning—well, Lightning Rod had limits. Ray Chu wasn't about to turn himself into a barbecued electric mouse shortly after reincarnating.
...
In the following days, Ray Chu began his networking project. Using berries as bribes, he befriended other Pikachu one by one, making them his "training partners" for daily electric shocks.
Within days, word spread among the forest Pokémon that a bizarre Pikachu had appeared—his greatest daily joy was being zapped by a bunch of other Pikachu. What a pervert…
Thanks to the tireless efforts of his Pikachu buddies, Ray Chu's electric abilities visibly strengthened—from a hair-thin current initially, quickly growing into a tree-branch-thick electrical burst.
"Pika!" A bolt flashed through the air, striking a nearby rock and leaving a charred, black mark.
Ray Chu approached to inspect it, noting with satisfaction that the scorch marks were darker than yesterday's.
Still, at this rate, facing Rock-type Pokémon like Geodude, his electric attacks wouldn't even tickle. He had a long way to go!
...
[AFTER EXTENSIVE TRAINING, LEVEL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED +3]
[LEARNED MOVE "THUNDER SHOCK."]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 5]